5 child-friendly resorts handy for Calais

The easiest way of going abroad with children - especially very young ones - is to throw all your gear into the boot and drive. Goodbye to baggage restrictions and long waits at airports - time your ferry to France so your kids sleep as much as possible while you're on the road and can have fun aboard today's ultra-child-friendly ferries, and everyone's happy.

The Dover-Calais ferry route is particularly good: you're across the Channel in little over an hour and at reasonable cost and - while many families speed south - from the ferry port it's a short hop to some of France's most family-friendly resorts.

Here's my pick of the top five beach resorts within easy reach of Calais - all of which have been awarded the official "Famille Plus" label.

Dunkirk (Dunkerque)

Not far north of Calais, close to the Belgian border and best known for its World War II connections, Dunkirk is fast reinventing itself as a family holiday hotspot. Its stunning beach resort of Malo-les-Bains offers 7km of fine sand dotted with colourful beach huts you can hire.

A magnet for kite-surfers, the resort is awash with activities in school holidays: beach games and watersports, kids' sailing tuition and marine-themed workshops and outings, kite-flying, sandcastle-building, a beach play-area with a 'baby park', and even an open-air library and storytelling sessions. In the town itself, visit the family-friendly port museum, lighthouse and aquarium and climb the belltower.

Where to stay: Hôtel Ibis Dunkerque Centre; Camping Château de Gandspette (37km southwest)
Best family restaurant: La Patatière (3 Digue de la Mer)
From Calais: 48km/35mins

Le Touquet

Part of the fabulous Opal Coast, Le Touquet-Paris Plage was a playground for wealthy Parisians, which is how it got its name. Still very popular with well-to-do French parents, it combines charming 1920s and 1930s villas (some commissioned by Noel Coward and his cronies) with family-friendly amenities and activities, including several water-parks, aquaboarding, sand-yachting, cycling and horse-riding. It feels a bit like Bournemouth only more stylish.

Where to stay: Résidence Pierre et Vacances les Jardins de la Cote d'Opal; Novotel Thalassa
Best family restaurant: La Dune aux Loups (Avenue de la Dune aux Loups)
From Calais: 71km/55mins

Forges Les Eaux

One of France's very few designated "Famille Plus" resorts in the 'Nature' rather than 'Seaside' category, this inland resort also holds accolades for its good looks and eco credentials.

The highlight is the Avenue Verte, an old railway line now offering 45km of traffic-free walking and cycling through the lush countryside. There's also a lake and woodland with donkey rides along themed trails, and a plant maze complete with trolls. A busy program of events includes a young magicians' festival in spring and a puppet festival and a horse festival in July.

Where to stay: Forges Hotel; Ferme de Bray (6km away)
Best family restaurant: La Table de Forges; Relais de Beaubec (4.5km away)
From Calais: 191km/1hr 55mins

Le Havre

A "Famille Plus" resort for its attractions as a city (it's been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005), Le Havre does offer a 2km sand-and-pebble beach with a playground, watersports, pétanque and volleyball pitches, and much more besides.

You can also take boat-trips around the port, discover the 200-hectare Parc de la Forêt de Montgeon with its mini-zoo, hothouse, fountains, discovery trail, lake with pedalos and rowing boats and children's playgrounds. And grown-ups can explore one of the worlds' best Impressionist collections in the art museum, and shop in a wonderful 19th -century covered market.

Where to stay: Hôtel Vent d'Ouest; Camping l'Aiguille Creuse (34km north)
Best family restaurant: Il Roméo (48 Rue Champlain)
From Calais: 276km/2hrs 30mins

Cabourg, Villers-sur-Mer and the Norman Riviera

The 'Norman Riviera', better-known to the French as the Côte Fleurie or 'Flowery Coast', is a string of resorts that became fashionable among Parisians in the 19th century. While the chi-chi shops and hotels remain - especially in Deauville -you'll also find some lovely toddler-friendly beaches, including the wonderful stretch at Cabourg, most famous for its association with the writer Proust (who came to the Grand Hôtel for inspiration). Here, you'll find fantastic kids' and teens' clubs in high season.

Nearby Villers-sur-Mer also has a fine 2.5km beach with kids' clubs and nature walks (some to the famous fossil-filled Falaises des Vaches Noires or 'Black Cow Cliffs'). It has a quaint town centre and Le Marais, a nature park with walking trails, donkeys and other animals, and children's games. Other resorts worth checking out on this stretch of Normandy coastline are Houlgate, Trouville and Honfleur.

Where to stay: Normandie Barrière (Deauville), Les Maisons de Léa (Honfleur); Castel Camping du Brévedent (25km south of Deauville)
Best family restaurants: Dupont avec un Thé (Cabourg, Deauville and Trouville); Il Parasole (Deauville and Trouville)
From Calais: (Cabourg) 329km (3hrs)

Rhonda Carrier

P&O Ferries' family travel expert, Rhonda Carrier, has written for Time Out and Lonely Planet and is author of Frommer's 'Normandy with Your Family' and 'Brittany with Your Family'. Visit the P&O Ferries website for more of her advice aboutfamily holidays in France.